Notre Dame 5-on-4 Pregame Practice Drill
We saw Notre Dame using this simple game situation drill to get their guys moving their feet and the ball before several of their games last season. Try it with your high school or youth team!
5-on-4 Slow Breaks happen just as often as 4-on-3 Fast Breaks. Make sure all your players understand these common game situations really well! Move the ball to the open man faster than the Defense can "Rotate!" to cover him, and score more goals in Transition Play!
- Related: Try this 1-on-1 Ground Ball to 3-on-2 Drill if your players aren't quite ready for 5-on-4.
- Related: Make sure all your players know the classic 4-on-3 Fast Break before you do 5-on-4's.
5-on-4 is also the same format for Man-Up/Man-Down in Box Lacrosse. If your players are also playing Box Lacrosse (which they should be), they will defenitely need to spend some time learning this scenario.
Give your players plenty of reps learning and figuring out how to work the 5-on-4 situation down to a 2-on-1 and an open shot on the goal. It will take them some time to figure out what to do with more players on the field. Focus on fundamentals of passing and catching at the beginning. Don't let your team waste these critical Numbers-Advantage scoring opportunities with bad stick skills!
Keep the reps and the drill moving! After a Goal, Save or a Turnover, start a new group. Players should switch lines after each rep in the drill. Middies and LSM's should switch between Offense and Defense after a few reps. Get your players ready for game time with tons of movement, passes and shots in this drill!
HERE'S THE PLAY:
Figure 1.) Set up your players in nine (9) lines, alternating between Offense and Defense. Push your players all the way to the Sideline and the Midfield Line so there is lots of space in the middle to play out the 5-on-4 situation.
Defense- Wear your pinnies! All the top teams we see keep their pinnies on the Defense for pregame warm-ups. Keep your drills clear and organized for your players. Don't confuse them even more right before game time.
